“It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop.”

Each and every human person was created by God, in His image and likeness. We’ve all been redeemed by His Son and are sustained by His love. Because of our divine origin and end, each of us has invaluable worth and unconditional dignity, no matter our capacity, state of life, or past actions. The value of human life is a gift; it is not something that can be lost or gained.

Society’s first duty is to protect and support human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. Our laws should build a culture of life, and should protect the most vulnerable among us. Practices that undermine the value of human life—such as abortion, euthanasia, torture, embryo destruction—have no place in a just society. Simultaneously, public policy should strive to create the conditions for life at every stage to be lived in a manner consistent with our God-given dignity.